Apparatus for preventing railway accidents.



H. L. LOGKART.

APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING RAILWAY ACCIDENTS.

APPLICATION FILED T11R26, 1913.

1,090,998. A Patented Mar. 24, 191A 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A l "l lllllll H..L. LOGKART.

' APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING RAILWAY ACCIDENTS.

APPLICATION FILED P3126, 1913.

Patented Mar 24, 1914 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

To all whom it may concern:

orrrbn HAVARI) I. LOCKART, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR PREVEN TIN G RAILWAY ACCIDENTS.

Be it known that I, I-IAVARD L. LooKART, a citizen of the United States,residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inApparatus for Preventing Railway Accidents, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for preventing railwayaccidents, the object of the invention being to provide improved meanswhich stops a locomotive or train and prevents'the same from entering ablock when a danger signal is set.

A further object is to provide improvements of this character whichoperate in unison with the semaphore or signal, yet which may bemanually operated to permit a train to enter a block if occasion mayrequire.

A further object is to provide an improved apparatus of this characterwhich when operated to stop a train, will destroy an inspectors seal, sothat the inspector will know that the engineer was careless and ran bythe danger signal.

A further object is to provide improvements of this character which areextremely simple in construction, and which may be connected to anyordinary signal and locomotive or car, and which will operateautomatically.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certainnovel features of construction and combinations and arrangements ofparts as will be more fully hereinafter described and pointed out in theclaims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a view in cross sectionthrough a track showing a locomotive and tender in end elevation andillustrating the same approaching my improved operating device which isshown in position to stop the train. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view inside elevation of the locomotive cab with my improvements thereon. Fig.3 is a view in elevation of a signaling device showing the tripping armelevated out of operative position. Fig. 1 is a view in elevation atright angles to Fig. 3 but showing the tripping arm in normal position.Fig. 5 is a view partly in elevation and partly in longitudinal sectionon an enlarged scale illustrating my improved at- Specification ofLetters Patent.

Application filed February 26, 1913.

Patented Mar. 245, 1914i. Seri'al No. 750,751.

tachment for the locomotive, and Fig. 6 is a view 1n sectlon on the line6-6 of Fig. 5.

1 represents the ordinary locomotive on the cab on which I locate avalve casing 2 which is connected in any approved manner Wltll theairline of the locomotive and train, and in this casing a valve 3 islocated having a stemd projecting up through the top of the caslng andnormally held in closed positlon agamst the pressure of air by means ofan'arm 5 which is pivotally connected at Its forward end to an extension6 on casing 2, and between its ends is pivotally connected to the stem 1as shown at 7. While I have described this air casing as on top of alocomotive and preferably on top of a cab, I would have it understoodthat it may be located on any part of a railroad car or in such positionthat it may be operated as Wlll be hereinafter described.

The arm 5, at its rear end, moves between parallel uprights 8 on abracket 9 secured to the top of the locomotive cab, and to theseuprights 8, at their upper ends, a cam lever 10 is pivotally connectedas shown at 11. The lower end of this cam lever is provldecl with agroove 12 which receives the arm 5, and this cam lever when in verticalposition, holds the arm 5 against upward movement and maintains thevalve 3 in closed position against the pressure of air 1n the system.

The upper end of cam lever 10 is provided with an opening 13, and thisopening 13 connected by a wire 14 with an openmg 15 in the eXtreme rearend of arm 5. Two wires 16 and 17 which are connected by a seal 18 actas a connecting medium between the upper end of lever 10 and the forwardportion of arm 5. In other words, the wire 16 is secured in the opening13, and the wire 17 is secured in an opening 19 in arm 5 in advance ofthe cam lever. These two wires are connected and secured by aninspectors seal so that when the upper end of the cam lever is forcedrearwardly to permit valve 3 to open, the seal 18 will be broken and theinspector will know that the engineer has been careless in running by adanger signal.

The extreme rear end of arm 5 is curved downwardly as indicated at 20,so as to permit the same the desired amount of vertical movement whenthe cam lever falls rearwardly.

otally supported between its ends on a pin 24 secured to a lever 25, anda shoulder 26 on said lever 25 limits the independent downward movementof arm 23 as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

The lever 25 is pivotally supported between its ends on the standard 26of the signal, and the inner end of arm 23 is located in directalinement with the pivot point of lever 25, and to this inner end of arm23, a downwardly extending operating rod 28 is connected. This rod 28extends through a box 27 on standard 26, and is secured against verticalmovement .by a pin 29 which extends through parallel cars 30 and throughthe rod 28. This pin 29 and cars 30 are located within the box 27, andthe latter has a hinged door 31 with a lock '32 thereon which can beopened only by the engineer or proper authority. The inner end of lever25 is connected to the operating rod 33 of the semaphore, and the latteris provided with a balancing weight 35 con nected by a rod 36 therewith.

It is to be understood that the semaphore will be operated in the usualmanner, and it will also be understood that only when the semaphore isin the danger position, will arm 23 be in position to be struck by theupper end of cam lever 10.

The operation is as follows: When the semaphore is moved to dangerposition, the arm 23 will be in the position shown in 'Fig. 1, so thatif the engineer is not attending to duty, and attempts to run by thesignal, the outer end of arm 23 will strike the upper end of cam lever10, breaking seal 18, and the pressure of air within the system willopen valve 3 and stop the train. When the engineer arrives at hisdestination, the inspector will know'by the broken seal that he has beenderelict in his duty. Iffor any reason the engineer desires to enter theblock while the danger signal is set, he can stop his train beforereaching the signal, and then by opening the box 27, can release rod 28and manually elevate arm 23 to permit the train to pass, but in no eventcan the train accidentally enter the block when the danger signal isset. As the end of arm 23 and the pivot point of lever 25 are inalinement, the movement of the lever and the arm in unison with thesemaphore will not affect the position of rod 28, so that the latter maybe positively locked against movement.

Various slight changes might be made in the general form and arrangementof parts described without departing from my invention, and hence I donot limit myself to the precise details set forth, but consider myselfat liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall withinthe spirit and scope of the appendedclaims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a railway vehicle having an air brake and avalve casing connected with the air brake, a valvein said casing, a stemon the valve projecting through the casing, a pivoted arm connected tothe stem and normally holding the valve in closed position, a cam leverengaging the arm, breakable means holding the lever,

and a tripping arm operated in unison with a signal and adapted when thesignal is at danger to strike the cam lever and cause the latter to moveand permit the valve to open, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a railway vehicle having an air brake and avalve casing connected with the air brake, a valve in said casing, astem on the valve projecting through the casing,.a pivoted arm connectedto the stem and normally holding the valve in closed position, a camlever engaging the arm, a tripping arm operated in unison with a signaland adapted when the signal is at danger to strike the cam lever andcause the latter to move and permit the valve to open, and breakableflexible devices connecting the cam lever with the arm in front and rearof the cam lever, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a railway vehicle having an air brake and avalve casing and connected with the air brake, a valve in said casing, astem'on the valve projecting' through the casing, a pivoted armconnected to the stem and normally holding the valve in closed position,a cam lever engaging the arm, a tripping arm operated in unison with asignal and adapted when the signal is at danger to strike the cam leverand cause the latter to move and permit the valve toopen, breakableflexible devices connecting the cam lever with the arm in front and rearof the cam lever, and the flexible connecting device in advance of thecam lever having aseal between its ends, whereby the seal is broken whenthe cam lever is operated.

4E. The combination with a railway vehicle having an air brake and avalve casing connected with the air brake, a valve in said casing, astemon the valve projecting through the casing, a pivoted arm connected tothe stem and normally holding the valve in closed position, a cam leverengaging the arm, a tripping arm operated in unison with a signal andadapted when the signal is at dangerto strike the cam lever and causethe latter to move and permit the valve to open, breakable flexibledevices connecting the cam lever with the arm in front and rear of thecam lever, a bifurcated bracket through which said arm projects, saidbracket pivotally supporting the lever, and said lever having a groovedlower end into which the arm is positioned, substantially as described.a

5. The combination with a railway vehicle having an air brake and avalve casing connected with the air brake, a valve in said casing, astem on the valve projecting through the casing a pivoted arm connectedto the stem and normally holding the valve in closed position, a camlever engaging the arm, a tripping arm operated in unison with a signaland adapted when the signal is at danger to strike the cam lever andcause the latter to move and permit the valve to open, breakableflexible devices con necting the cam lever with the arm in front andrear of the cam lever, a bifurcated bracket through which said armprojects, said bracket pivotally supporting the lever, said lever havinga grooved lower end into which the arm is positioned, said arm at itsextreme rear end curved downwardly, sub stantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

HAVARD L. LOCKART.

Witnesses:

S. W. FOSTER, O. R. ZIEGLER.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

